1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for storing and forwarding voice signals. More particularly, it relates to a system for storing and forwarding selected types of reports in the form of voice signals.
In many professional fields it is frequently necessary to generate reports. These records may be unique or may consist of selected, predetermined words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs arranged in a predetermined format. Typical of such professions is radiology. Typically, a radiologist will examine an x-ray and prepare a written report about the patient's condition for review by the patient's primary physician (i.e. attending physician). The large majority of these reports take on substantially standard formats differing only in particulars such as the dimensions of abnormalities noted or particular conditions of the examination. Similar requirements for reports are found in the legal, insurance and other such professions.
In order to efficiently make use of their time and to benefit the hospitals with which they are associated, it is the common practice of radiologists to dictate their reports. In large modern hospitals these reports may be dictated on improved central digital dictation systems which allow access through a telephone or audio station by a number of authorized users, including the primary physicians of the patients. Use of such central dictation systems by the radiologists allows the primary physicians almost immediate access, by voice, to the radiologist's report, thereby eliminating the need to wait for the report to be transcribed. However, particularly in a large, busy hospital, such systems may create a backlog of recorded but untranscribed reports which introduces undesirable delays in the registration and filing of the written report. Further, in the case of radiologists with a heavy accent or speech impediment, primary physicians not familiar with the radiologists may have difficulty understanding the recorded report during listen access as provided by current central digital dictation systems
Another approach to the problem of generating reports such as radiologists' reports has been the use of voice recognition systems. Such systems typically will recognize key words or phrases (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "trigger" phrases), and in response to these phrases, output preselected blocks of printed text. This selected text is output in a predetermined format to generate the printed report. Such systems have the advantage of providing an immediate printed report, but deprive others of immediate listen access to the reports; particularly from a remote location over the telephone network, since no voice record was generated.
2. Objects of the Invention
Thus, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a system wherein the contents of a report are promptly available to authorized, interested parties.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a system which reduces the time required to produce a report.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a system which standardizes the form of verbal reports.
It is still another object of the subject invention to provide a system which will increase the range of usefulness of voice recognition technology for the generation of reports.